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Editor's note:
For the AP religion team’s Luis Andres Henao, the first challenge in arranging a reporting trip to Cuba was getting a visa. His in-person interview with a consular officer came just after the U.S. State Department once again faulted Cuba for infringing on religious freedom. Once on the island, Henao – though aware some restrictions remain in place – found a dazzling diversity of religious activity, 65 years after the Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, communist government. Among those he interviewed was one of Cuba’s highest-ranking Catholic leaders, who recalled hiding his Bible when he did military service as a young seminarian, fearing it would get confiscated. Henao followed Muslims as the call to prayer summoned them to Havana’s only mosque; he reported on gatherings of Buddhists and Jews, as well as Santeria devotees who danced and slapped drums in a museum filled with statues paying homage to their Afro-Cuban deities.
Religion News
Defrocked in 2004 for same-sex relationship, a faithful Methodist is reinstated as pastor
Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked as a United Methodist Church pastor after telling her Philadelphia congregation that she was in a committed same-sex relationship. On Tuesday night, less than three weeks after the UMC repealed its anti-LGBTQ bans, she was reinstated. By David Crary/The Associated Press
When the Pulitzers were announced on May 6, Nathan Thrall had to contend again with cancellations from venue organizers too skittish to feature a writer on a combustible subject. By Yonat Shimron/Religion News Service
Jesus is their savior, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president’s backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings, while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians. By Peter Smith/The Associated Press
He feared coming out. Now this pastor wants to help Black churches become as welcoming as his own
When the Rev. Brandon Thomas Crowley was offered a prestigious job as a minister at age 22, he decided to keep his sexual identity a secret. It took six more years before he stood before his congregation at a historic Black church near Boston and came out. By Darren Sands/The Associated Press
Catholic diocesan hermit approved by Kentucky bishop comes out as transgender
Matson is thought to be the first openly transgender person in his position in the Catholic Church. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
Jewish activists have been central to protests against how Israel is conducting the war with Hamas, and not just on campuses − the movement goes back decades. By Atalia Omer for The Conversation
May 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the Immigration Act of 1924, which sharply cut the number of people allowed into the US. By Matthew Smith for The Conversation
Medieval writers and clerics condemned queer romance and gender-bending stories − but were often wary of even mentioning the topics. By Jessica Hines for The Conversation
The visit is a reminder that the Gaza war is not a religious one and certainly not a Jewish-Muslim conflict. By Daoud Kuttab/Religion News Service
People take part in a bun snatching competition during the annual Bun Festival on Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong, Thursday, May 16, 2024. The annual festival has Taoist origins. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
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